There are still efforts to mine John Roberts' Indiana childhood for clues to his philosophy and personality, including this bizarre one, the purpose of which seems to be to explore the possibility that living in an area that once had exclusionary neighborhood covenants and a nearby race riot would somehow make Roberts a racist judge eager to dismantle civil rights law. "I think it's legitimate to look at the past if it tells you anything about the person. But so what if there were race riots? Did he cause them? No. He was a 15-year-old kid. We don't shape the events that take place in our hometown." Well, duh.
